In RealDawg.com’s weekly prediction, Kaila Olin looked at three keys to the Huskies reclaiming the Apple Cup.
“The Washington Huskies are on the road for their last game of the regular season with hopes to make to the Pac-12 Championship game. Last season the Huskies got their hearts broken at home by the Washington State Cougars and are looking for some payback, plus getting their win column into double digits.”
Kaila’s Keys No. 1: Offense Needs Big Chunk Plays
Olin said: “The Huskies have been most successful in games this season when they were able to produce big chunk plays on offense. By big chunk plays, I’m meaning a gain of 10 yards or more when running the ball and a gain of 15 yards or more when passing/receiving the ball. In Washington’s two most recent games, against Oregon they had five big rush plays the longest of 16 yards and one for 13 yards going for a touchdown.”
Bingo!: The Huskies had scoring strikes of 75 yards in a Penix-to-McMillan hookup to start the 2nd half and a 40-yard run. In between that Penix found Ja’Lynn Polk inside the Cougar 5 yard line for 41 yards. In all the Huskies had 18 explosive plays including five for touchdowns.
Kaila’s Keys No. 2: Get to the Quarterback
Olin said: “Another time the Huskies have had the most success was when the defense was putting pressure on the quarterback and getting into the backfield. If you look at the two upsets that Washington was handed on the season, they only came away with one sack in both of those two games against UCLA and ASU combined. WSU quarterback Cameron Ward has had a decent season, especially as a starter.”
Nailed it: The Husky defensive line spent the evening harassing Ward. Often left grasping at air, the Huskies still put him on his backside 6 times. Entering the contest Ward had been sacked 34 times. The Huskies defense finished the regular season tied with USC for conference lead with 35 sacks. In all, the Washington D had 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Kaila’s Key’s No. 3: Secondary Needs to Step Up
Olin said: “The Washington defense has given up big plays and been burnt by opponents during the season, no position more than the secondary. While the Huskies have the 49th best defense in the country in terms of yards allowed per game, they are 78th in passing yards allowed per game and an embarrassing 3rd worst in all of FBS in passing touchdowns allowed.”
The Glass is Half Full: Early in the contest it looked like it would come down to who had the ball last, who created a turnover, or who was able to steal away a possession. The Cougars were 4 for 4 on fourth downs in the first half. However, the Husky D became especially stingy in the 2nd half with no plays over 20 yards. WSU’s 6 second half points came on a short field by way of a rare turnover for the Washington offense.
